Strong Enough
by Mironicka
Summary: Kenshin has returned to the city of Tokyo to see if he is strong enough to win back the love he lost and left behind.
1. Chapter One

**_Strong Enough_**

Tokyo...the city of dreams, power, rebirth and forbidden love. A place where a child can remain a child for as long as the child wants unlike Tokyo's brother and sister cities where a child is forced to become an adult.

'Indeed it has been a long while, that it has.' Kenshin thought as he walked down the familiar roads. The same old, warm, friendly faces and the same busy shops and hopefully the same, forgiving place that he had stumbled upon his quest as a young wanderer.

Over the years Kenshin had grown quite old, but was nonetheless the same old 28-year-old inside. If not maybe a bit wiser.

Kenshin a mere age of 35 had turned to the second place he could ever remember calling home after a rough 5 years of soul searching.

'So many bad things have happened. I hope she can forgive me.' Kenshin thought as he walked down the very familiar dirt path and off in the distance Kenshin could see the Kamiya Dojo.

Suddenly Kenshin stopped walking. He looked at the area around and notices something about it. It was the spot he had hugged Kaoru, as he was about to head off for Kyoto. And the same spot he had kissed her good-bye the night before he had left to go on the journey he just got back from.

Kenshin's lavender eyes lightened some. It had been too long of a 5 years. He could barely remember what Kaoru looked like. He could only remember what her eyes looked like. One of his favorite things about her.

Kenshin shook the memory away as he continued on walking. Once he had gotten to the big wooden gate, Kenshin knocked lightly at first, then a bit more loudly the second time.

With his keen sense of hearing Kenshin could hear running footsteps and the giggling of somebody he didn't know or remembered.

A moment after he heard the laughter the wooden door opened and when Kenshin looked down he saw a little girl who looked to be about 4 years old. She had short black hair that kind of spiked around her heard and she had huge beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

"Hi may I help you?" The little girl asked politely. Kenshin squatted down to her height so she wouldn't have to look all the way up at him. "Um...You wouldn't happen to know if this is still the Kamiya Dojo/ Residence would you?" Kenshin asked friendly as he smiled at her. But before the young girl had a chance to answer Kenshin a young boy darted out in front of the girl and pushed her behind him.

Kenshin was shocked to see how fast the child had moved and came out of no where in particular. But more so than that how much the child reassembled him detail for detail. He had his read hair, his body frame, but his eyes were of an ocean blue.

The young boy stared up at Kenshin with what Kenshin believed to be fierce and maybe even hateful eyes.

"Kenji! Suki!" Sano Yahiko shouted as he ran up panting heavily as he came up behind him. As soon as he looked up to see who was squatting near the gateway Yahiko quite panting and straightened his form visibly.

He eyes turned stone cold and unwavering. His hands balled at the side and Kenshin could tell he was fighting real hard internally to keep his anger in check.

"What are you doing here? Haven't you done enough damage or are you here to create more?" He asked coldly, slightly shaking a bit as he said it.

"Yo! Yahiko did you find Suki and Red!" Sano shouted from a distance away. Yahiko's eyes didn't leave Kenshin, but he turned his head to answer Sano.

"Yeah I found them...along with a ghost from the past." He responded.

Just as Sano was coming over to see whom Yahiko was talking about, Yahiko sent Kenji and Suki away inside the dojo. Kenshin watched the children obediently leave, but he noted that the little red head boy didn't go without giving Kenshin another dirty look.

As Sano came running up slowing into a slow jog hit saw little Kenji and Suki go past him and as he looked over to Yahiko noted the 'ghost' that was standing at the entrance.

He just stood there watching Yahiko watch the man that USED to be his best friend.

"What the hell made you want to come back here?" Sano said flatly. Kenshin starred at Sano and looked back at Yahiko who was still starring daggers at him. "I wanted to come back because I've been gone a long time." "Bull shit. That excuse isn't gonna cut it." Sano snapped.

"You'd better come up with a better reason than that." Sano replied. There was a faint smack off in the direction that the two kids took off in. "Yahiko go check on Suki and Kenji." Sano ordered. "But-" "Damn it Yahiko this is not time to argue with me. Just go check on them okay!" Sano roared at the younger male. Yahiko muttered a fine, but he wasn't satisfied until he gave Sano a defiant look and walked off.

"So answer my question Kenshin." Sano said after realizing Kenshin was taking too long to answer. "I need to see Kaoru." Kenshin answered while narrowing his own eyes. "And why in the hell would make you want to see her?" "I miss her Sano." "You now what I think that excuse a bunch of crap. And only my good friends call me Sano."

"Sano please...just stop this and let me see Kaoru." "I won't let you." "Why?" With Sano Kenshin's response Sano lost all kind of control and darted out towards Kenshin and decked him in the face. Kenshin was off guard and stumbled backward grabbing his swore check.

"How dare you ask me why Kenshin...Do you actually know how much you made missy suffer since you left?" Kenshin watched Sano on as a variety of emotions raced through his face and eyes. "You worthless punk...You sleep with her one night and then you leave the next morning without so much as a goodbye or a letter." Sano finished. He made out to hit Kenshin again, but this time Kenshin was prepared and blocked his move, but not the second one followed and he fell to the ground hard.

Kaoru was around the corner coming back from shopping when she heard Sano scream. She quickly began to dash towards the dojo and when she got there she saw Kenshin fall to the ground hard from a punch from Sano. Just as she saw Sano get ready to punch Kenshin again she dropped the basket she was holding and quickly threw herself on Kenshin to protect him.

"Sano please...just stop this and let me see Kaoru." "I won't let you." "Why?" With Sano Kenshin's response Sano lost all kind of control and darted out towards Kenshin and decked him in the face. Kenshin was off guard and stumbled backward grabbing his swore check.

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A/N- So what will happen next? Read/ Review and find out! 


	2. Chapter Two

A/n- hey everyone! Before I you jump intio the second chapter of my tale, let me just say you guys all had the same question about the two kids from before. And you'll find out who all the parents are in here. And about last chapter about that double typed ending, that was all doing not mines.

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_**Strong Enough**_

**__**

_Chapter 2: Home At Last?_

Sano looked down and watched as Kaoru continued to shield Kenshin with her body. "Kaoru move!" "NO! Sano this must stop please." Kaoru begged as she began to cry.

Sano stood there shocked that after all this she would protect him from getting what he deserved and more importantly he watched as crystal tears formed in her eyes and spill forth. A sudden sense of guiltiness washed over Sano as he had made Kaoru cry.

Sighing deeply, Sano relaxed and turned his back to them as he began storming off into the dojo.

"Stop crying Jou-chan. Your tears aren't worth the reason." Sano called over his shoulders.

Kaoru looked up and watched him leave. "Thank you Sanosuke." She whispered and then she looked down at Kenshin in worry. "Kenshin are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm fine Kaoru-dono. Just a little sore." Kenshin answered as he lifted his head to look up at her. "But you're bleeding." Kaoru pointed out as she indicated there was blood trailing from his mouth. With the sleeve of his gi Kenshin wiped away most of the blood while managing to smear the rest.

"I'll be fine Kaoru, that I will. You no that I had, had worse wounds than this before, that you do." Kenshin said as he smiled warmly up at her. He soon then found himself in her tight embrace of a hug. "I've missed so much you baka!" She cried as her grip on him loosened some and her head fell on his chest.

All Kenshin could do was hold the crying young woman in his arms closer as she wept on his chest. "I'm sorry Kaoru." Kenshin whispered in her ear. Kaoru's only reply as she continued to cry was her shaking her head and repeating the word 'baka' over and over again.

**Later On That Evening **

Kaoru finally came over her shock of seeing Kenshin in over 5 years. Once again she had offered him a place to stay at the dojo with no question, but Kenshin could feel deep within his soul something wasn't right. Even though he had seen two of his friends it had seemed that they had closed the door of their friendship on him over the course of time he was absent. And even his Kaoru didn't seem the same.

She hadn't smiled at him or anything else for that matter since she had saved him from Sano's wrath and called him 'baka' for ten minutes straight.

"Here Kenshin, you can stay in this room." Kaoru said monotone. Another thing he noticed that was not Kaoru like, She was always cheerful or happy about something. Had he really caused that much pain to everyone around here?

Kenshin looked around the room he stood in.

"This doesn't look like the room I had before." Kenshin said, unaware he had said it aloud. Kaoru instantly tensed and Kenshin immediately noticed. "Your room is already being used by someone else." She answered as she moved over to the closet in the room and pulled out a blanket to place on the rolled up futon in the corner.

"Kaoru?" "I must go Kenshin." Kaoru said not wanting to be around Kenshin anymore for the time being. "Wait!" Kenshin somewhat shouted as he arm shot out and grabbed her arm firmly, yet gently at the same time.

Kaoru first looked at the hand on her arm then looked up at Kenshin.

"What do you want?" She finally gave in with a sigh. "Who were those two kids I saw at the door when I arrived here? One was a little girl, I think Yahiko called Suki. And then there was… a little boy." He questioned.

Kaoru's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't have possibly been serious, could he? Sure Suki she could understand him not guessing who, but the boy? HER son, no correction, THEIR son.

Wasn't it obvious to him when he glanced at their son that the boy was his? I mean the kid looked like him, except in the eyes. But give or take a few traits the kid very much did favor Kenshin and that fact alone blew away at Kaoru's mind that Kenshin didn't even take an obvious guess.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kenshin asked as he noticed Kaoru's bewilderment. "No." She choked softly. Kaoru's gaze dropped to the floor and her bangs veiled her eyes from Kenshin's view.

"You didn't say anything wrong. You just shocked me." Kaoru said again so softly that Kenshin thought he almost didn't hear her. "The little girl you saw, Suki, she's Sano and Megumi's little girl." Kaoru answered. "And the boy?" Kenshin asked.

Though he was sure he had an idea who the boy belonged to, he just had to be sure.

Kaoru looked up at him as he once again refused to take notice that the mysterious little boy was theirs. The sorrow that she felt welled up in her and she couldn't take it any more. As well as the sorrow came so did the anger. She knew he wasn't blind, anyone that saw him could point out who his father was.

"I guess you wouldn't know who the boy is because you've been gone so long." She snapped. Kenshin took a step back in surprise, as he wasn't expecting this type of reaction.

"But I…" "Don't even feed me that crap that you did it for me or for anyone else." Kaoru snapped again cutting him off. "Maybe that sounds a little selfish and maybe even a little wrong... But while you were gone….After you left…." Kaoru couldn't finish as she was choking on sobs.

The night before he left he had kissed her swearing that he had loved her. Then the next thing she knew the following morning, after their night of passion, she woke up in her room alone. She had awakened to find that Kenshin had left the dojo without any sign or signification that he had said his final goodbye.

No letter, not waiting until she woke up, nothing at all. Just a one nightstand and a kiss.

Then not too long after his departure, she had gotten signs of morning sickness and the next thing she knew was she was pregnant with Kenshin's unborn child. But the sad part was Kenshin was no where to be found.

And after seeing Kaoru battle with the mixed emotions running through her head, he had decided to try and embrace her. But Kaoru stepped back away from him.

"Like I said before Kenshin. I have to go." She rushed out as she turned on her heel and briskly walked out of the room, leaving a hurt ruroni behind.

**The Next Day **

Kenshin sat up in his room contemplating yesterday's arrival. It wasn't the best home welcoming he had, though he didn't expect a grand welcoming either. He knew he had his work cut out for him. He had lost, it seemed, all of his friends trust.

He left without any sign or warning again a second time and what made it worse…he didn't even give a complete final goodbye where it counted the most. To Kaoru.

The morning he had left Kaoru wasn't easy for him. He didn't want to leave her side, but he didn't want to see her cry as he went off again. He couldn't take another scene like the one before he left for Kyoto. It nearly killed him then as he was sure it killed her too.

'I guess my plan for saving us pain only brought on more pain.' Kenshin thought as a mental picture of Kaoru flashed in his head.

But his thoughts were cut short as the sounds of his door opening caught his attention. When Kenshin's head snapped to the door his eyes met the hard blue eyes of the little boy from yesturday. He stood there at the door frame just starring at him.

"Yes? What's the matter?" Kenshin asked as he got to his feet. For a minute young Kenji was in awe at how tall Kenshin looked to him, but easily recovered as he figured he wasn't as big as his Uncle Sano. "My mom says it's time to eat." Kenji stated simply as he turned to ran off.

"Wait!" Kenshin called after him. Kenji quickly stopped his movements and turned back around towards Kenshin. The look on Kenji's face sort of silenced Kenshin for a moment. 'He reminds me….of….oh sh-' Kenshin mind began to spin and his heart began to race.

As Kenshin stood there starring at the way the little boy looking at him at that very moment, something snapped in his brain. The look Kenji gave him was simular to the annoyed look he would give people back in his young Hitokiri Battousai days.

'He's…he's…mine?' Kenshin thought in shock.

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Sorry everyone it took me so long. But I was having the WORST cause of writers block so here we go with the second chapter. Hopefully the third chapter won't take to long this time.

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